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Xaronese Celestial Empire
:"Look up at the stars, oh children of Xaron. One day they shall all belong to you." ::- Book of Straxus, 14:16 :"You have taken up arms against the Empire, now you shall reap the whirlwind!" ::- Rojixus Tal'Shiar, 2484 XE The Xaronese Empire, also known as the Holy Xaronese Empire or the Empire of Blood and Steel, was a repressive interstellar state founded in the first century XE by the warlord Straxus the Terrible. Once confined to a single planet, the Xaronese Empire has since spread throughout the Teggedon Spiral like a wildfire with few being able to stop it. The Empire ruled its conquered territories through force and fear of force, those that attempted to resist Xaronese rule were met with harsh reprisals. History Formation The Xaronese Empire was established in 0 XE by the prophet Straxus the Terrible. Believing he had a mandate by God, Straxus used his psychic powers and his military machine to unite the planet. The resulting Unification Wars lasted 50 years and cost more than 89 million lives. In the end however, all of Xaron was united under one master. Alliance with the Prantilomites In 253, the Xaronese made first contact with the Prantilomite Confederacy. The Prantilomites, merchants and traders by nature, sought to recruit the Xaronese as mercenaries to fight for them in their wars against their enemies. In exchange for their service, the Prantilomites promised to provide the Xaronese with advanced technology and a seat in the Confederate Diet. The Xaronese, their planet rapidly becoming overcrowded, readily agreed to the Prantilomites' offer. The Xaronese proved to be highly effective fighters, triumphing in any war they fought in, they soon acquired a reputation as the Prantilomites' ruthless enforcers. Some in the Prantilomite Confederacy thought the Xaronese were becoming too powerful for comfort, they cited Xaron's increased clout in the Diet as an example. As the Xaronese conquered the Confederacy's enemies, they demanded more and more worlds to rule as they pleased. Soon, the Xaronese began to decide who the Confederacy was at war with. It eventually became less a matter of the Xaronese Empire fighting in the Prantilomite Confederacy's wars as it was a matter of the Prantilomite Confederacy fighting in the Xaronese Empire's wars. Things reached a breaking point in the fifth century after the Xaronese defeated and conquered the mighty Tsun-Cad Empire. The Xaronese demanded to be given control over all of the Tsun-Cad Empire's former territories. Believing the Xaronese planned to absorb the Prantilomite Confederacy into their expanding empire, a coalition of thirteen member states declared their intent to expel the Xaronese from the Confederacy if the Xaronese did not relinquish their hold over former Tsun-Cad territories. By this time, the Xaronese and the Prantilomites knew full well who was in control. In 491 XE, the Xaronese conquered the Prantilomite Confederacy with little effort. The Xaronese Crusades Size and Location The Xaronese Empire is the largest nation in the Teggedon Spiral, ruling roughly a third of the known galaxy. By 2500 XE, the Xaronese controlled 3 million star systems, only 250,000 of them had A-class worlds. During the Xaronese Crusades, the Xaronese overran the Rutani Empire and conquered a large portion of the Drungari Empire. In 2507 XE, the Galactic Coalition awarded the Xaronese Empire a mandate over Deovodran territories seized after the Galactic War. The Empire also claims a vast swath of space in the Unknown Regions in accordance with the Galactic Colonization Covenant of 01 GE (2508 XE) along with all the trillions of stars, planets and beings that come with it. The Xaronese maintain bases at the very edge of the galaxy and in each of the satellite galaxies. As of 2500 XE, the Xaronese share a border with the Khorellians, the Jionese, the Deovodrans, the Drungari, and the Solanji. Politics Officially, the Xaronese Empire is an absolute monarchy ruled by an emperor. However, the Emperor is only a religious figurehead. Most power belongs to the Praetor of the Imperial Guard, the Great Houses, and the Imperial Sanhedrin. The de facto ruler of the Xaronese Empire was the Praetor of the Imperial Guard. The Praetor ruled the Empire with an iron fist, his every decree was law. As powerful as the Praetor is, he only rules as long as he has the support of the Imperial Navy. Indeed, many Praetors were originally ambitious admirals who gathered a fleet and overthrew the previous Praetor. The Praetor's rule is not absolute, however. His power is limited by two factions, one of these being the Great Houses. The Great Houses are the nobility of the Empire, families of great power and wealth that control entire worlds and fleets of warships. The only thing keeping the Great Houses from controlling the Empire outright is their constant infighting and feuds. The Great Houses seldom unite for anything, only when the Emperor declares a crusade or when common-born Praetors become intolerable will the Great Houses pull their resources together. It would be in the Praetor's best interest to accommodate the Great Houses. Also limiting the Praetor's power is the Imperial Sanhedrin, a body composed of the greatest religious scholars from across the Empire. The Sanhedrin is the main lawmaking body of the Empire, laws made by the Sanhedrin can not be overruled except by the Sanhedrin itself. The Sanhedrin also controls the feared Inquisition, an organization created to seek out heretics and dissidents amongst the populace and punish them. The Praetor would be wise to heed the words of the Imperial Sanhedrin, lest he too is declared a heretic and disposed of. Planets conquered by the Imperial Guard were governed by military governors who ruled with an iron fist. The admiral or general who conquered the planet was entitled to 1% of its wealth for the rest of his life. Uninhabited worlds colonized by any of the Great Houses were added to their personal domains, free to govern them as they chose. Every year, the Great Houses are to report any worlds added to their domains for taxation purposes. Any House that fails to report a world risks having the planet confiscated and the offending Great House fined. Economy The Xaronese empire has one of the most powerful economies in the galaxy. The Xaronese economy is heavily influenced by a series of large mega-corporations controlled by a small group of merchant families. These merchant families are in constant competition with the Great Houses. The merchant families resent the "haughty aristocrats" lording their political power over them and the Great Houses show nothing but contempt for the "uppity peasants". The official currency used by the Empire is the fang. In ancient times, the Xaronese would use the teeth of Gath Dragons as currency, hence the name. The fang is partially backed by the all-important substance orichalcum. Highly rare and highly valuable, entire wars have been fought over the element. The fang is also backed by gold, silver, and iridium. By 1000 XE, Xaronese warp drives had advanced to the point where it became easier to ship items from one star system to another than from one city to another on the same planet. The Xaronese economy is dependent on the cheap labor provided by the billions of en-surfed natives confined to worlds conquered by the Empire. Natives unable to pay the high taxes levied by the empire are forced into work-gangs and made to work in the mines, slave away in the factories, or swelter under their suns growing crops. Very often, the Xaronese would confine a subjugated world to produce only one type of commodity so that these worlds would be dependent on the Empire for existence. Slavery is legal in the Empire, Xaron is an active participant in the interstellar slave trade. Xaronese slavers are known for their cruelty and efficiency. The city of Hassik on Xaron is the center of the Xaronese slavery. Because slavery is legal in the Empire, the Xaronese Empire has had a strained relationship with its allies, the Khorellian Empire and the United Systems of Arret. The Empire receives most of its wealth from tribute collected from conquered worlds. Each planet must pay between 10% and 50% of their incomes to the lord of the system who then passes 90% of that tribute on to their superiors who keep ten percent of that and pass the rest on to their superiors on the feudal pyramid. As a result, patriarchs of the Great Houses are some of the wealthiest individuals in the galaxy. Culture Religion Religion played a particularly large role in Xaronese society, all government and military officials must be approved by the priesthood. The official religion of the Xaronese Empire was Xaronism. Founded in the 1st century XHC by Straxus the Terrible, one of the main tenets of Xaronism was that the Xaronese were the Master Race chosen by God to rule the galaxy. The Xaronese believed they had a divine mission to spread the words of Straxus throughout the galaxy and convert all non believers. Before the Empire, the Xaronese had many religions. Once Straxus unified Xaron, all other religions were banned and its adherents persecuted. On occasion, a heretical sect of Xaronism would arise only to be stamped out by the Inquisition. Some heretical sects have chosen to leave the Xaronese Empire all together and have set off for space in giant generational ships. These sects would often be hunted down with zeal by Xaronese authorities, few worlds would except them for fear of angering the Xaronese. The United Systems was one of the only governments willing to accept them. Language The official language of the Empire was Xaronese. Xaronese came in many dialects. Military The Imperial Guard The Imperial Guard was the military arm of the Xaronese Empire tasked with maintaining the Empire's grip over subjugated worlds and conquering new ones. The Imperial Guard had seven branches: the Xaronese Army, the Xaronese Navy, the Xaronese Gendarme, the Xaronese Science Directorate, the Xaronese Engineering Hosts, the Stormtrooper Hosts, and the Xaronese Medical Authority. The Imperial Guard nominally answered to civilian authorities but in fact did as it pleased, the Imperial Guard was regarded as a great house in its own right. There were many advantages to being in the Imperial Guard. In addition to seeing the galaxy and not having to pay taxes of any kind, the Imperial Guard was one of the only ways for upward social mobility for the lower classes. In theory, one could begin life as a peasant or a kid living on the streets and end up the ruler of an entire planet as so many of Xaron's greatest military figures have. Officers in the Imperial Guard were also highly paid, an ensign or sublieutenant made more in a year than many make in a lifetime; colonels and captains regularly make over a million fangs a year. House Security Forces In addition to the Imperial Guard, Xaronese systems were protected by the private military forces of the Great Houses, the House Security Forces. The HSFs were the first line of defense against the Empire's foes. The HSFs were less prestigious than the Imperial Guard; while the Empire's best joined the Imperial Guard, HSFs were infamous throughout the galaxy for accepting anyone who volunteered for service whether they be former convicts, ex-slaves, Imperial Guard rejects and washouts, natives of conquered worlds, and ne'er-do-wells from other nations. House Security Forces could be integrated with the Imperial Guard in times of emergency and the best officers could be transferred to the Imperial Guard. Category: Xaron Category:Nations of the Teggedon Spiral